


I Was Here

by jess (jess_m)



Series: Dynasty [2]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Awesome Shuri (Marvel), Awesome T'Challa (Marvel), Black Panther (2018) Post-Credits Scene, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), F/M, Genius Shuri (Marvel), Hurt Bucky Barnes, Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Gems, King T'Challa (Marvel) - Freeform, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Third Person Limited, Post-Black Panther (2018), Protective Bucky Barnes, Sweet T'Challa (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-05-02 19:35:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14551929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jess_m/pseuds/jess
Summary: The end of the world never started easy and it wasn't going to end without sacrifice. Kat Hastings has just gotten her boyfriend back and thinks the next step is marrying the man she loves most in the universe. Little does she know, an angry titan with a need to create balance is lurking just around the corner waiting to throw a wrench in everything.This is the sequel to my work 'I'll Be Good'. If you have not read that yet, please go back and do so before reading this story. For those of you who have not seen Infinity War, while this will not be exactly by the script there will still be spoilers of deaths so please hold off until you have seen the movie.





	1. Prologue: White Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Marvel and I most certainly do not want to own Infinity War. If you have not seen the movie yet this first chapter will be just of the end credits in Black Panther but the chapters following will be in Infinity War.
> 
> If you have not read the first part in this series 'I'll Be Good' please go back and do so. I will be editing that to amend for any formatting or grammar errors as I write this. If I do write a third part in this series it will be after the Avengers 4 is released and hopefully some of those deaths are reversed. Fingers crossed.

You never really know the end is near when all the signs are right in front of you. Kat Elizabeth Hastings walked through the corridors of the Wakandan building, tapping through her screen and smiling as she marvelled at the endless wonders present in their technology.

It was incredible to think so many advancements had been simply hiding away waiting for the world to discover them. She was pleased T’Challa had decided to open the borders of Wakanda and though she hadn’t been present in his battle against Killmonger, she knew he could take the throne that was rightfully his.

If it had reached a breaking point, she would have tried to fight, but during her time in Wakanda she didn’t want to be there seeking out battles, she wanted to be there helping Bucky.

She marched into the lab and nodded a quick greeting to Shuri. She had quickly taken a liking to the King’s younger sister and found at times she was much more entertaining to be around than T’Challa himself.

However, on this day Shuri seemed different. There was something off about her when she smiled at Kat.

“What’s going on?” Kat chuckled. “Has Steve paid a visit again?”

“Not exactly,” Shuri shook her head.

“Then what?” Kat wondered. “Is it Wanda this time? I thought she was staying in Scotland with Nat and Vision.”

“No,” Shuri said once again. “You will just have to come and see,” she said, beckoning the brunette forward. 

Kat frowned, a million questions running through her mind but conceded and followed the girl. 

“If this is another one of your pranks on T’Challa, I haven’t really got time Shuri,” she sighed. “I’m due to the lab to check Bucky’s vitals for this week. They spiked last week and I need to make sure he’s okay.”

“That’s just it,” Shuri nodded.

They headed out of what Kat would rather refer to as a mansion than a castle or palace despite it housing Wakandan royalty. Using the phrases castle or palace always felt more Victorian to her rather than a title that belonged to such a technologically advanced country.

Behind the mansion there was a field filled with tents and small housing for orphaned children or those unable to afford proper homes in Wakanda. It was one of the kindest traits of the country. They didn’t leave children incapable of fending for themselves on their own and they provided stability for families that needed it. It was one of the many things that made Kat so happy to continue living there. 

“Why are we heading out here, Shuri?” Kat wondered with a small frown. She had only been in that area twice, once on her tour around Wakanda that T’Challa was happy to guide her on and the second time so she had a place to stay while they set up a room for her in the mansion.

“You’ll see,” Shuri grinned.

“I’m not sure if I like that grin,” Kat winced. “That’s the grin you give T’Challa when you’ve invented something new to mess with him.”

Shuri chuckled and shook her head. “There are no tricks this time,” she promised. “Just look inside that tent,” she said, nodding to a tent just across the field from Kat.

“Why?” Kat wondered with a small frown. “What’s in there?”

“If I give it away that will ruin the surprise,” Shuri shrugged. “Just go. I promise it won’t be anything bad.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” Kat murmured, knowing full well that her word meant nothing. She was a genius little sister who had all the time in the world to come up with new ways to mess with those older than her. Kat knew well enough not to trust a word she said.

“Just go,” Shuri insisted.

“Alright,” Kat sighed. “But if something jumps out at me, I’m telling you mother,” she warned.

“You sound like T’Challa,” Shuri said with a roll of her eyes. “Just go.”

“Okay, okay,” Kat nodded. She marched up to the tent and winced as she pushed through, expecting one of Shuri’s inventions to attack her.

However, what she got was completely different. 

“Oh, my God, Bucky!” Kat cried, falling to her knees and cupping his cheek delicately.

Bucky groaned and turned to her with blurry eyes. “Kat?” He mumbled.

Kat nodded furiously, tears of joy clouding her vision as she simply laughed, overwhelmed with happiness.

“I can’t believe you’re awake,” Kat gasped. “When did you-How did you-?”

“Shuri woke me up,” he groaned, rolling on the small makeshift bed he had in the tent and smiling at her. “Said, the only way to get through the rest of this stuff out of my head was working through it away from people. Everything else is pretty much gone.”

“That’s incredible,” Kat breathed. “But away from people, does that mean-?”

“I still want to be with you,” Bucky assured her with a firm nod. “How long has it been for you?”

“Two years,” Kat mumbled. “Six months, three weeks and four days but who’s counting?” She asked, a small smile playing at her lips. 

Bucky chuckled and pulled her into a soft but sweet kiss, far less than what Kat had hoped for after two years, but she knew for him it felt as though he had just seen her yesterday.

“Has Steve come by?” He wondered.

“And Wanda,” Kat nodded. “They’re still on the run from the government after the Accords though so they can’t drop by two much. Last visit was three months ago and last I’ve heard from Wanda they were stuck in Scotland with Vision.”

“Vision?” Bucky frowned. “Wasn’t he-?”

“With Tony?” Kat finished with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, but apparently he’s evolving. He turned off his receiver and wants to help them. He looks human from what Steve’s said.”

“Wasn’t he the red guy?” Bucky remembered and Kat giggled. 

“Yep,” she smiled and nodded. “He was, but now he has normal skin, I guess. Unless, he gets injured, for some reason he turns back to the Vision you saw.”

“Hell, what else have I missed?” Bucky sighed as he sat up as watched her. 

“There was a fight here,” Kat shrugged. “T’Challa nearly died but it’s all okay now.”

“Did you fight?” Bucky asked.

“I couldn’t,” Kat shook her head. “Fighting again just didn’t feel right without you by my side.”

Bucky smiled softly and cupped her cheek. “It feels like I just saw you a couple days ago and yet somehow I still missed you.”

“It was torture watching you in there,” Kat mumbled. “There were some days when I wanted so badly to just pull you out and bring you back.”

“Thank you for waiting,” Bucky nodded. “I know it was hard, but I finally feel like I can trust my own mind to an extent. I don’t have to worry about hurting you when some asshole in a suit traps me and says a couple words to make me dangerous.”

“That’s wasn’t your fault, Bucky,” Kat sighed. “And it wasn’t like it was that simple. He had you electrocuted and kept Steve and I away so we couldn’t get to him before it was too late. There were a lot of things at play that day.”

“But you were still in danger because of me,” Bucky reminded her. 

“I told you,” Kat shook her head. “The Soldier didn’t want me. I think part of what made this process a bit easier was you were already beginning to fight against him with your own memories before we even got here.”

“Whatever the case may be, I’m just glad I’m not putting you at risk anymore,” Bucky sighed. “I don’t know what I’d do if I wound up having your blood on my hands.”

“That’ll never happen,” Kat assured him with a shake of her head. “So long as you promise you won’t be leaving me again anytime soon,” she smiled.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Bucky grinned.


	2. Run Away With Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's been awhile but Xfinity has gotten Infinity War and I was able to buy it and guess who's able to now write the movie with all the actual lines?? I love canonical storytelling don't mind me. I'm so happy to be able to write this most devastating movie and make it even more heart wrenching. Enjoy!

**Two Months Later**

When one’s whole life begins to morph into battle, it’s hard to find a time when it will end.

Kat thought she had found that time. They were safe on Wakanda. No one had come for them, no one was interfering in their lives. They were left alone and for a brief time they managed to be happy.

Kat learned to ride a horse, Bucky cared for baby goats. They didn’t just have a normal life, they had a peaceful one.

Of course, she had the same feeling back in Romania before she was forced to join Steve and Sam in the battle against Tony and the others.

This time was no different. T’Challa came marching up to the little house Kat and Bucky shared with Okoye and the rest of his armed forces. He held a briefcase in his hands and without saying a word, he set the briefcase down and allowed Kat and Bucky to walk up before him before he opened it.

There was a new arm inside. It was black with stripes of gold and far more beautiful than the last arm had been. An arm born out of Bucky’s pain and suffering and shoved on as though he were a mere instrument to do with as they pleased.

Bucky and Kat shared a look. They both knew what this meant. T’Challa had been holding back on giving Bucky a new arm and Bucky never rushed him for one specific reason: having two arms means he needed them for something and that something was usually fighting giving his less than admirable track record.

Kat sucked in a shaky breath and pulled her hair up into a pony. They were going to start fighting and she had to be ready when it came no matter if it was in a matter of seconds or days.

“Where’s the fight?” Bucky asked, voicing her exact thoughts without her having to say a word.

“On its way,” T’Challa announced.

“Then, we’d better get started,” Kat sighed. “Come on,” she said to Bucky, placing a gentle hand on his back and grabbing the briefcase with the other.

“Do you want equipment?” T’Challa called as they began heading to Shuri’s lab.

“Your sister has everything I need,” Kat assured the Wakandan king.

“Are you going to be putting the arm on?” Bucky frowned, narrowing his eyes at the woman by his side.

“Well, you can’t exactly do it yourself,” Kat giggled. “And believe me when I say this time around I’m not taking any risks.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one who’s saying that?” Bucky wondered. “Seeing as I was the one that got you kidnapped by Hydra, and-.”

“You didn’t do any of that,” Kat snapped. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this,” she sighed. “You are not to blame for anything that has happened to me since I met you. I knew the risks and I took them because I wanted to. Because I was dedicated to being your doctor just as dedicated as I am to being your girlfriend. Now, hush up and let me take care of you before we have to start fighting,” she reprimanded.

Bucky chuckled and shook his head. He had no idea how he got so lucky as to have a woman that never displayed any kind of fear around him no matter what he did. She never judged him or berated him for who he was and always looked at who he could become.

She saw the world not for what it was but for what it could be, and Bucky would adore her endlessly for that.

They headed back inside the palace where Kat greeted and made small talk with countless people Bucky didn’t know and had no idea she knew. She had been busy the two years he had been sleeping.

As they headed inside the lab, Bucky smirked at her. “Been making friends, have you?”

“Well, what did you expect me to do?” Kat sighed, turning around and smiling at him. “I couldn’t very well be idle while you were locked away in that chamber. If I did that I would have gone out of my mind waiting for you.”

“You had Steve and the others coming to visit,” Bucky reminded her.

“Yeah, once every few months,” Kat huffed. “They’re still on the run, remember? I couldn’t exactly sit on my backside for four months watching the chamber and doing nothing while I waited for them to come back,” she smirked.

Bucky smiled softly and shook his head as they headed inside the lab. Inside, Shuri was running about furiously trying to set a dozen things up and appearing completely exhausted.

“I do not have time to talk!” Shuri called. “I am supposed to pull one of the infinity stones out of a man’s head without killing him and I have no idea how to do that!” She exclaimed.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Kat sighed, rushing up to Shuri and placing her hands on the shoulders of the young girl. “Deep breath,” she instructed, and with wide eyes the girl watched her as she took a deep breath. “We don’t need to talk. We just need to use your equipment to get this arm back on Bucky,” she said, holding up the arm.

Shuri frowned and peered around Kat to narrow her eyes at Bucky. “Looking like that?” She scoffed. “The world may be ending but that does not mean you cannot spare the time for a shower.”

Kat glanced back and snorted, before her face fell as she took in just what Shuri was saying. “Wait? The end of the world?!” She exclaimed and Bucky’s eyes inflated.

“What do you mean the end of the world?” Bucky frowned.

“T’Challa hasn’t told you?” Shuri implored with a raised brow and Kat and Bucky both shook their heads.

“All he told us was that a fight was coming,” Kat shrugged.

“A fight against a Titan,” Shuri nodded and Kat’s heart plummeted into her stomach.

“What? Like those ones they teach you about in Greek mythology?” Bucky frowned.

“Worse,” Shuri breathed. She turned to her computer and began tapping around before pulling up a projection of six colored stones. “This one is currently in possession of two infinity stones. The power stone and the space stone, making him the most powerful being in the universe. Your friend Vision has the mind stone in his head and it is what brought him life,” she explained. “It is believed to be the most powerful of the stones. The other stones; the soul stone, the time stone, and the reality stones are scattered throughout the universe. Nobody knows where the soul stone is, but the time stone is in possession of a man called Doctor Strange on Earth, and the reality stone was last given to Thor so he and his people could place it wherever they must.”

“Thor,” Bucky frowned. “Is that the guy you told me about?” He asked Kat. “The god of thunder?”

“Yeah,” Kat sighed. “Last I saw he was headed off some place with Bruce,” she shrugged. “They must have run into this guy if we have this much information about him.”

“They did,” Shuri nodded. “I believe Doctor Banner is on Earth with Steve Rogers now. They’re preparing to come here so I can remove the infinity stone from Vision’s head without killing him and Wanda can destroy it before Thanos can get to it.”

“And Thanos is the titan we have to fight?” Kat guessed.

“Now you’re getting it,” Shuri nodded.

“Great,” Kat said sarcastically. “You know sometimes I really question why we remain friends with all of them,” she sighed, marching past Bucky as he laughed. “Come on, we have to get you all suited up so we can fight a big dumb Titan that we wouldn’t have to deal with if we didn’t have the worst friends.”

“You’d miss them if they weren’t around,” Bucky reminded her with a soft chuckle.

“Would I miss being able to stay in bed with you at our only little spots where no one can ever find us?” Kat sighed, turning to him with a soft smile. “Never,” she assured him and Bucky grinned.

“We always seem to be interrupted just as things are going good aren’t we?” Bucky muttered.

“That’s what I keep saying,” Kat mumbled. “One of these days we’re going to get married and find some little island where no one will ever be able to track us down,” she giggled.

Bucky grinned and wrapped his arm around her. “So, you still want to marry me, then? Even after two years?”

“Oh, two decades couldn’t stop me from wanting to marry you,” Kat assured him. “Now come on, let’s take a shower and try to pretend like it’s not the end of the world,” she said, pulling him along to the bathrooms while he laughed.

Kat smiled as she dragged him into the largest bathroom on that corridor and slammed the door behind him. As he took a seat on the counter, Kat narrowed her eyes at his hair.

“Jesus, Bucky, when you said you’d let your hair grow out, I never thought you’d let it come to this,” Kat sighed, lifting up his virtually dead hair and wincing.

“Oh, you’ve lived with it for two months,” Bucky sighed.

“Correction, I’ve lived with it for maybe a month,” Kat said, holding up a single finger. “I know for damn sure your hair wasn’t like this when you came out of cryo.”

“Well, cut me some slack,” Bucky chuckled. “I haven’t exactly had to take care of hair this long before.”

“Yes, I know,” Kat nodded as she pulled out some soap. “You’ve had your hair cut short all your life but now if you wanna live with long hair you gotta live with the consequences and that includes looking like Jesus on occasion,” she said and Bucky laughed.

“Where would I be if I didn’t have you to make me laugh when the world was coming to an end?” Bucky wondered.

“Lost,” Kat sighed. 

He resituated himself so he could sit before the sink and she could wash his hair for him while they talked.

“But it really isn’t the end of the world, is it?” Kat frowned, glancing down at Bucky with worry in her eyes. “Because I know I joke about how hard this life is, but do you really think we can stop this guy from destroying the world.”

Bucky sighed softly and looked away for a moment as he thought. “I don’t know,” he confessed. “And to think, I used to be so afraid of going back into this life and now that I’m in it again, I might not be enough,” he mumbled.

“I don’t think any of us will be enough,” Kat muttered. “I mean I’ve seen what Thor can do and if he were on the wrong side that’d be scary enough to me, but throw in an all-powerful alien? I honestly don’t know what to expect,” she admitted.

“I miss the days when the strangest thing was a guy who could peel back his skin and reveal a red face,” Bucky muttered and Kat laughed.

“Yeah, that would make things a lot easier,” she mumbled. “Sometimes when the world is saved I just want it to stay saved,” she huffed. 

“That would make a normal life a lot easier,” Bucky nodded in agreement.

“Why can’t we have a normal life?” Kat wondered. She rinsed out Bucky’s hair and wrapped it in a small towel as she pulled out a razor to try and clean up his beard. “Just because we were products of Hydra’s own sick designs doesn’t mean we don’t deserve a normal life like anybody else?”

“Yeah, but where could we go?” Bucky scoffed. “It seems wherever we try to pick up a life trouble always seems to find us.”

“We should just run away,” Kat shrugged. Her face fell as she narrowed her eyes at Bucky and realized that may not be something he wants with Steve still needing his help. “Would you run away with me?” She wondered.

Bucky glanced down at her and grinned. “I’d be crazy not to say yes,” he said and Kat beamed at him.

“It’s settled then,” Kat nodded. “You and I survive this whole thing together and we run off to some place no one will ever find us.”

“And then I can officially make you Mrs Barnes,” Bucky smiled, pulling her close so he could place a sweet kiss on her lips that made Kat’s tummy flip in delight even after all this time with him.

“Sounds like a deal,” she sighed, unable to wipe the smile off her face. She loved Bucky more than life itself and she couldn’t wait to finally find the day where they would be able to relax together out of trouble and out of the public eye.

Some place safe and all theirs.


	3. The Mind Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I'm lagging between updates here. I really don't have an excuse I'm just lazy and get distracted easily.

Two hours after Kat had put Bucky’s arm on and they had showered and gotten suited up, they headed outside to greet their friends as the quinjet landed.

“So, has Steve changed much since last time I saw him?” Bucky wondered as they marched out to where T’Challa and his forces had gathered.

“I mentioned the beard right?” Kat prompted and Bucky chuckled and nodded.

“As weird as it is to picture that little kid from Brooklyn with a beard, yes you did,” Bucky sighed.

“Well, he’s traveling with Natasha now, and Wanda has red hair, but that’s about all that has changed,” Kat shrugged. “I thought I filled you in on this a while back,” she frowned, narrowing her eyes at Bucky.

“Well, it’s better to get a refresher,” Bucky shrugged. “After all, for me it’s been about two months since I’ve seen the guy, and for him-.”

“It’s been nearly three years,” Kat nodded. “He’d understand if it was a lot to take in, though. You have to remember you weren’t the only one that went into cryo after the war,” she reminded him.

“Fair enough,” Bucky nodded.

They arrived just as T’Challa was marching away from the quinjet with the team.

“So, how big of an assault should we expect?” T’Challa asked.

“Uh, sir, sir,” Bruce said and Kat smiled at the sight of him. She really hadn’t gotten much of a chance to get to know him during his brief stint back at headquarters but he was a great guy to have around. “I think you should expect quite a big assault,” he announced and Kat winced.

That didn’t sound so good.

“How we looking?” Nat asked and Kat’s eyes widened. She had blonde hair now. It looked nice.

“You have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and,” T’Challa said, gesturing to Bucky and Kat who beamed at them.

“And a semi-stable 100-year-old man,” Bucky beamed.

“And his far less stable medical girlfriend,” Kat smirked and Steve grinned at the sight of them.

It felt like so much had changed since their first meeting ages ago and yet at the end of the day, nothing between them had changed at all.

Steve walked up and wrapped Kat in a hug before turning and wrapping Bucky in a hug right after her.

“How you been, Buck?” Steve asked and Kat snorted. As though he hadn’t been there just three months back and stayed around Bucky for every second possible.

“Uh, not bad,” Bucky shrugged, glancing down at Kat with a small grin. “For the end of the world.”

“Now, I know you two need to catch up and I’ve hoarded just about all the time I can with Bucky over these past two months, so if you don’t mind, I’m gonna spend this time to catch up with my best friend over there,” Kat smiled, nodding towards Wanda who was helping carry Vision into the castle.

Nat narrowed her eyes at the girl who stopped by the redhead’s side and quickly started laughing with the girl. “You didn’t tell her about you and Wanda?” Nat frowned.

“I didn't have it in me,” Steve shrugged. “They’re so close, I figured I’d leave it up to Wanda herself.”

“What?” Bucky frowned. “What happened?”

“Wanda and I broke up,” Steve sighed. “It got too rough,” he shook his head. “Being on the run in crappy motels and never being able to take risks doesn’t exactly help build a healthy relationship,” he said.

Bucky nodded and clapped his hand on Steve’s shoulder just as Sam walked out from the quinjet and glanced around.

“Where’s that annoying best friend of mine?!” Sam exclaimed with a large grin. “Come to greet me after..,” he trailed off with wide eyes as he saw Kat walking by Wanda’s side, hardly even realizing Sam was there as well. “Oh, come on man!” He snapped, stamping his foot on the quinjet floor like an irritated child. “I haven’t seen her in six months and this is how she greets me?!” He exclaimed and Bucky snorted.

“C’mon, Sam, I think she’ll be more than delighted to forget you exist back in the castle,” Bucky smirked.

“Oh, you can shut it tin man,” Sam snapped and Bucky laughed once more.

He had missed teasing Sam about how Kat preferred him so much more to the boy she had known since she was ten-years-old.

With that, they headed inside the castle to the lab where Shuri was waiting. 

Kat sat by Wanda’s side while Shuri scanned Vision and allowed the girl to fill her in on everything she had missed since they last saw each other.

“So, you and Steve broke up?” Kat frowned.

“Yeah, I,” Wanda sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know, I guess I felt like I was too much of a burden on him.”

“Wanda you could never be a burden on anyone,” Kat smiled softly.

“But I was,” Wanda insisted with a nod. “After Lagos and then going on the run,” she muttered. “I was willing to be with him through everything but he always had to take extra steps with me. We couldn’t just go out because I was seen as a far more dangerous criminal than he was, and when we couldn’t go out together..,” she trailed off.

“The relationship suffered,” Kat nodded in understanding. “Sometimes I wonder if days like these are ever hurting Bucky and I,” she muttered, turning her gaze to the man she loved standing beside his bearded friend. “Like we have something so perfect that’s all our own and then we get tossed into this life again where all we can really worry about is staying alive.”

“I know what you mean,” Wanda sighed. “Vis and I were staying together in Scotland and it felt like I’d finally gotten something so perfect, but then they showed up and it’s like everything we had was just gone.”

“Sometimes I just wanna leave,” Kat muttered. “It’s so tiring that sometimes I just wanna run away to a place where we can’t be found and hide there forever.”

“I wish I had known all those years ago when I joined the Avengers that all I’d really want is a normal life,” Wanda smiled softly.

“With your robot boyfriend, no less,” Kat chuckled and Wanda giggled and nodded.

“It’s strange. He’s sweet and kind and so funny, but I thought if I pursued anything with him it would just feel so weird,” she mumbled, wrinkling her nose at the very thought. “But it’s not,” she confessed, turning to smile at her oldest friend. “It’s nice and whenever I’m with him, I just feel like I’m home again,” she sighed and Kat grinned.

“Well, good,” Kat nodded. “You deserve to be happy. Whether it’s with a ninety-year-old soldier or a robot, you deserve something good in your life and, wow, I just realized you have the strangest taste in men,” she remarked and Wanda laughed.

“You’re the one dating the hundred-year-old assassin,” Wanda reminded her and Kat snorted.

“Maybe that’s why we’re friends,” Kat mumbled. “We’re both really weird when it comes to who we date,” she remarked and Wanda giggled.

“I wouldn’t put it past us,” Wanda nodded.

Shuri finished her scans and held up a hologram of the mind stone with a small frown as she read through the analysis.

“Whoa,” Bruce gasped and Kat snorted.

“I knew he’d like this place,” Kat mumbled. “C’mon witch,” she sighed, holding out her hand to help her friend out of her seat. “Let’s go see if we can save your boyfriend,” she said and Wanda nodded, accepting her hand and walking over with the brunette to stand by Shuri’s side.

“The structure is polymorphic,” Shuri observed as she looked at the hologram.

“Right,” Bruce nodded. “We had to attach each neuron non-sequentially.”

“Why didn’t you just reprogram the synapsis to work collectively?” Shuri wondered with a small smile and Kat snorted.

Shuri was even smarter than the doctor she had admired her entire life.  She loved this kid.

Vision glanced to Bruce as if to say, _ ‘yeah, why the hell didn’t you do that?’  _ which made Kat giggle all the more.

“Because, we didn’t think of it?” Bruce frowned astonished that this girl could know so much more beyond him and his seven PhD’s.

Shuri smiled at him as though she were giving him an award for participation. “I’m sure you did your best,” she shrugged.

Wanda took a deep breath and grabbed Kat’s hand for comfort. “Can you do it?” She asked, her voice cracking as she spoke and Kat squeezed her hand to try and offer some form of reassurance.

Shuri glanced up at Wanda sadly, truly sorry that she had to be delivering this kind of news to Vision’s girlfriend. “Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here,” she sighed. “One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures,” she warned. She glanced to T’Challa and took a deep breath. “It will take time, brother.”

“How long?” Steve asked.

“As long as you can give me,” Shuri replied.

Just then, there was an alert of strange beeping and Okoye pulled up a hologram of the Earth and the system just above Wakanda.

“Something’s entered the atmosphere,” Okoye breathed.

“And I’m guessing that time starts now,” Kat sighed.

Bucky pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss before heading out to stand watch with Sam. If anything started coming through that barrier they needed people who were ready immediately.

“See you out there?” Bucky prompted with a raised brow.

“Don’t start all the fun till I get there,” Kat smirked.

“I wouldn’t dare,” Bucky chuckled and Kat allowed herself to hold his hand for as long as possible until he had to physically let her go to run outside.

Kat sighed softly and turned to Wanda. “Are you gonna be okay?” She asked, turning to her friend and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“As long as he doesn’t ask me to kill him again, I’ll be fine,” Wanda sighed.

Kat smirked and pulled the girl into a hug. “You heard her, Vision,” she told the man.

“I’m not sure we will have much of a choice,” Vision confessed.

“There’s always a choice,” Kat sighed. “And right now that choice is buying Shuri as much time as we can and getting that stone out of your head. What’s going on outside?” She frowned, heading closer to the window as others turned to see what she was looking at.

Some strange metallic ships seemed to be landing just outside the dome Wakanda had around them, but close enough to be dangerous. By her side, she heard Steve take a deep breath, already readying himself for a fight.

“You’ve missed this, haven’t you?” Kat observed, her tone low and curious as she eyed Steve. “You always missed the fight.”

“I don’t know,” Steve mumbled. “I enjoy it when I fight and make it out alive as anyone really should, but it seems the stakes just keep getting greater and I’m not sure if it’s fighting or surviving anymore.”

“Life is nothing but surviving, Steve,” Kat sighed. “All that really counts is whether or not you can find the fun in the fight, because yes it’s okay to grow weary of it over time, anyone would, but there’s a difference between growing weary of fighting and giving up,” she reminded him. “Don’t give up, Steve. Even if the next fight is your last or you lose everything in it but your life, don’t give up. I think the day Steve Rogers gives up is the day all hope is lost,” she smirked.

Steve smiled softly and glanced down. Trust the good doctor to get his spirits up right when he was beginning to hit rock bottom.

Behind them, they heard Vision groaning as he sat up to try and peer out the windows at what everyone else was seeing. Kat’s eyes grew wide and she immediately rushed to his side to try and pull him back down. This man had some sick need to forget any other method they may try and sacrifice himself at whatever cost and she wasn’t going to let him keep breaking Wanda’s heart.

“It’s too late,” Vision groaned, pulling away from Kat and trying to stand up as he clutched his wound. “We need to destroy the stone now,” he announced and Kat rolled her eyes.

“Vision, get your ass back on the table,” Nat snapped and Kat smirked.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Kat grinned as Vision laid back down on the table.

“We will hold them off,” T’Challa said, nodding to the Dora Milaje as he left the room. 

“Wanda, as soon as that stone’s out of his head, you blow it to hell,” Steve instructed, his tone gravelly serious as he glanced toward the redhead.

“I will,” Wanda nodded.

“Evacuate the city, engage your defences, and get this man a shield!” T’Challa exclaimed, spinning around and pointing right at Steve who smirked at him.

Kat took a deep breath as she tightened her pony and began pulling on her combat boots. “Good luck, Wanda,” she smiled, pulling the redhead into a hug.

“Thanks,” Wanda grinned. “And good luck out there,” she nodded.

“Thanks, it seems like I’m going to need it,” Kat winced. “Steve, wanna come with me to the weaponry?”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded. “Remember what I said, Wanda. Don’t wait for a second. Just blow it.”

“I will,” Wanda promised.

With that, Steve and Kat headed out to the weaponry where Kat picked out her guns and knives and Steve picked out his shields.

“So,” Kat sighed, placing some blades around her waist. “You and Wanda broke up?”

“Yeah,” Steve muttered. “I dunno,” he shrugged, pulling some shields around his wrists and smirking as he pressed a button and they opened up. “I guess we were just good together at headquarters, but not so much on our own.”

“It’s tough keeping up a relationship on the run,” Kat nodded, pulling out a gun from the collection. “That’s part of the reason why I didn’t bring Bucky with me after Hydra. I needed time and I knew I wasn’t going to stay in one place too long, so I couldn’t bring him with me. It would be hard trying to keep up a relationship while worrying about being seen, possibly being arrested, and keeping enhanced abilities out of everything. That’s why when I did come back for him it was so we could stay in one place together.”

“Yeah, maybe I should’ve done that with Wanda,” Steve mumbled. “I thought if we stayed close on the run it would be better, but-.”

“It just turned out to be worse,” Kat nodded in understanding. “She’s got a few more demons than you and it’s not going to be easy running from country to country with a girl who’s got powers increasing by the day but was accidentally at the centre of three huge scandals that people would know her face from. Granted, two of those were just because she joined the Avengers, but still. The one in Sokovia was just her making up for her mistakes by joining Ultron.”

“I just wanted her to be happy,” Steve sighed. “But I also felt like as a couple we should go out together and I realized those two things don’t really go well together when you’re on the run,” he winced.

“It’s just a matter of having to know what you sign on for,” Kat shrugged. “With Bucky I was more than ready if he were to regress into his soldier state and I learned all I could to make sure I could help him when and if that happened. When we went into hiding, I spent months beforehand learning to be invisible to the most keen of eyes: Tony Stark. After that, keeping the Winter Soldier hidden away was easy.”

“But did you guys ever go out together?” Steve frowned.

“We watched movies together if that’s what you mean,” Kat said. “You can’t have the perfect life with the person you love when you’re in a circumstance like that. You can’t go out to dinner and take walks on the beach and pretend everything is normal because it’s not. I caught him up on movies, I read with him, I did all the things we could do while locked away in an apartment or confined to that street.”

“But how do you cope?” Steve wondered. “How do you stay happy in a relationship that’s confined to an apartment or hotel room?”

“Steve, if you need to ask that question I already know you and Wanda were doomed,” Kat sighed. “Because if you’re truly happy with someone, you shouldn’t need to take them out anywhere and everywhere in order to be happy. You should be able to have date night be as simple as sitting on a ratty old sofa with cheap food and nothing but a movie and each other’s company and you should be able to be happy. If you need the restaurants and  beaches and sunsets you don’t want a relationship with that person, you want the experience of being in a relationship.”

“You’re right,” Steve sighed. “And I think I’m happier on my own,” he confessed. “I mean, I love Wanda, but it got to a point where it was just hiding away and mimicking being in a relationship rather than being in one.”

“If being on the run while dating proves anything, it’s whether or not you can be really happy in the relationship you have,” Kat nodded. “I mean look at Wanda and Vision. They were on the run just as much as you and her and they look happier than ever together.”

“Yeah,” Steve sighed, casting his gae to the door of the weaponry as though he could see them there. “And I’m happy she’s happy. After all she’s lost I think she deserves it.”

“I think we all deserve it,” Kat muttered. “But no, we have to fight a fucking alien with a little too much confidence in his jewellry set,” she huffed and Steve chuckled. “Come on, I’m sure the fight’s going to be starting any second now,” she said, waving Steve along with her as she headed out to the door.

“One second,” Steve said. “What do you think?” He smirked, pressing the buttons on his wrists and releasing the shields. 

Kat snorted and shook her head as he beamed at the shields. “I think you sure got a fancy new set of toys, Steve,” she giggled. “Come on, the others are waiting.”

“Yeah, alright,” Steve sighed, dragging his feet like a little kid as they headed outside.


End file.
